Just a few weeks after beating #1 ranked Kentucky in Assembly Hall, the Hoosiers toppled #2 ranked Ohio State 74-70 tonight. Every starter was in double figures, led by Jordan Hulls’ 17, and the three guys I said needed to step up after the Michigan State game – Hulls, Cody Zeller, and Tom Crean – all did just that tonight.

As Ohio State superstar Jared Sullinger tweeted soon after the game ended, “Give credit when credit is due. IU basketball is back everybody…. Tough basketball team.”

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

If you missed the postgame show, it is embedded below. I thought Andy and Ryan really came through with some tremendous analysis tonight, and our buddy Nick was on point giving well-deserved plaudits to Coach Crean.

A few other relevant links:

• SCACC Hoops: Indiana-Ohio State advanced stats
• ESPN: Indiana-Ohio State box score
• Inside the Hall: Indiana-Ohio State ‘The Minute After’

And then a picture, taken from that Inside The Hall post, that absolutely sums up tonight’s game…and Indiana’s found-again prowess at home:

After Indiana’s second monumental home win, which legitimizes the Kentucky victory and truly signifies Indiana basketball being back, I don’t know about you…but celebrating the new year is going to be even more fun tonight.

Be safe everyone, and then listen to the latest episode whenever you get a moment, or go here to download it.

IU-Ohio State Postgame Show

IU-Ohio State Chat Recap

And if you want to see the chat recap too, here it is:

Immediately after, the Assembly Call crew will be here to provide instant analysis and a forum for fan reaction. So before you go out to ring in the new year, join us for one last (and hopefully victorious) Assembly Call before 2012 begins.

IU-Ohio State Game Info

• Date: Saturday, December, 31st
• Tip Time: 7:00 ET
• TV: ESPN2
• Announcers: Dave O’Brien and Dan Dakich (!!!)
• Point Spread: Ohio State -4
• Over Under: 139
• Other Gameday Info: Peegs.com
• KenPom: InstaGamePrep (subscriber only)
• First Postgame Show: The Assembly Call
• Second Postgame Show: Crimson Cast

IU-Ohio State Quick Preview

Simply put, we are going to learn a lot about our Hoosiers in this game. Coming off the first loss of the season, with one of the best teams in America invading the Assembly Hall, we will find out what kind of resolve and mental toughness, as well as talent, this year’s Hoosiers posses.

On that note, I was encouraged by these quotes from Verdell Jones, as tweeted just a few minutes ago by DustinDopirak:

We have the confidence to know that we can play with anybody.

We definitely got an edge. We’re hungrier more than ever. We really want to prove that the non-conference wasn’t a fluke.

If the team’s energy and focus match Verdell’s words we’ll be just fine. Now, let’s hope the team’s energy and focus does indeed match Verdell’s words.

As for Will Sheehey, there is no new news to report. Tom Crean continues to, smartly, play it close to the vest. Why give Ohio State any information to prepare with? Sheehey remains day-to-day, via Dopirak and InsideTheHall.

If you’re interested, here is Tom Crean’s press conference previewing the Ohio State game:

Saturday is a very big game for three people in particular.

First, it’s a huge game for Crean. This year’s Hoosiers have been riding high, higher than any of us expected. The Michigan State game was the first setback of the season, and in addition to poor performances from the next two people I’m about to discuss, I thought Crean made several strategic errors as well. He needs to bounce back with better judgment against Ohio State.

Second, it’s clearly a big game for Cody Zeller.

After breezing through the non-conference schedule (relatively speaking) and picking up multiple Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards, Zeller was exposed a bit by Michigan State as not quite being ready for the physical play of Big Ten basketball. It gets no easier against Ohio State. In fact, it gets much tougher.

Jared Sullinger is one of the best post players in the last 20-25 years of Big Ten basketball, and he was dominant as a freshman. If Zeller wants to prove he is an impact freshman anywhere close to Sullinger’s level, he needs to show it against Sullinger.

Third, Jordan Hulls needs to bounce back. No one will get upset at Hulls for having an off shooting night. It happens to even the best shooters, as Hulls proved against Michigan State. Missed shots can be forgiven, but poor decision-making in the halfcourt from your junior point guard cannot. I thought Hulls made a number of poor decisions directing the Hoosiers offense against Michigan State, and that can’t happen if we want to beat Ohio State. As for the shooting, we’re back at home. Hulls will shoot just fine.

Please don’t take me calling these three guys out as negatives. I think all three will step up to the challenge against Ohio State, and I foresee Indiana competing very well. I expect to win this game. I won’t be devastated if we don’t, considering the competition, but I will be very disappointed if we aren’t competitive for 40 minutes. That is what this team is capable of, and we should expect nothing less.

Let’s go Hoosiers. It feels damn good to have confidence again that we can defend The Hall against anyone. Now let’s do it.

IU-Ohio State Postgame Show

As soon as the final buzzer sounds, The Assembly Call begins. Listen here live on New Year’s Eve:

Call-in number: (858) 365-5571

Use this number to call in and provide your thoughts on-air or to listen on your phone.

(MOBILE USERS: CLICK HERE.)

IU-Ohio State Chat

Well thank you very much for sharing. I felt it deserved its own post.

(To the author: please comment below or email me – jerod@midwestsportsfans.com – if there is anything else you’d like to add for backstory.)

‘Twas The Day Of The Game

T’was the day of the game, and all through The Hall,

Hoosier Nation has gathered to watch them play ball.

The banners are hung from the rafters with care,

With hopes that a 6th one soon will be there.

The fans are nestled all snug in their seats,

Hoping the Cats are a team we can beat.

With Mom in her sweatshirt, the girls in their stripes,

We’re watching at home so I won’t get in a fight.

When on the TV there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the couch to see what was the matter.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,

The flags are all out, and Tom Crean is there.

He spoke not a word but went straight to his work.

Calipari’s arrived…he’s such a jerk.

The buzzer has sounded, it’s time for the game.

More loved than a hero, Crean calls them by name.

Now Zeller, Oladipo, now Watford and Jordy;

On Elston, Verdell, and oh yes Will Sheehey.

Now post away, steal away, dunk away all,

Let’s show the Cats that “this is how we ball”.

And if the game ends with the Hoosiers on top,

The celebration in B-town may never stop.

So Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

And GO IU! FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!

**********

A prescient poem indeed.

And for those of you who just can’t get enough IU-Kentucky talk after last night, a couple more links:

• Listen: The Assembly Call IU-Kentucky Post Game Show
• Column: Indiana beats Kentucky…and I remember why I bother with sports in the first place

*****

Update: As you can see in the comment section below, Noelle has written another poem, this one from the perspective of after the game.

“Twas the day after the game”

T’was the day after the game for the Crimson and Cream,

And I’m wondering now was it all just a dream.

The girls are nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of Watford dance in their heads.

With Mom in her nightgown and Dad in his shorts,

It’s no surprise from the screaming that Mom woke up hoarse.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,

The newspaper guy says the Courier-Journal is here.

I tore the bag open just to see it in print,

The huge picture of Watford gave me the first hint.

It’s all very real, a right jolly old team,

And the smile on my face has turned into a beam.

The Hoosiers are back in a very big way,

A gift that’s not brought with Santa or a sleigh.

It came from the heart, with blood, sweat and tears,

A comeback that has taken us so many years.

From Crean cleaning house to the recruitment of Cody,

And the return to the program of the beloved Calbert Cheaney.

He did things the right way, not just a quick fix,

Without any gimmicks, no cheating or tricks.

He got guys who knew what it meant to wear stripes,

Even if it meant there wouldn’t be any hype.

So enjoy this win Hoosiers, it’s much more than a game,

It has brought back the glory of the Indiana name.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a great night,

And GO IU FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!

Which is why you, and your friends, need to join us on The Assembly Call postgame show as soon as the buzzer sounds.

Kentucky comes in undefeated and loaded with talent, yet again, under controversial coach John Calipari.

Indiana also comes in undefeated, bursting with more talent and experience than the Hoosiers have had in years, under the excitable and improving Tom Crean.

It is, without question, the biggest game in Bloomington in years.

It is probably the biggest game since Duke came to town in 2005 and Marco Killingsworth did his best impression of Andrae Patterson doing his best impression of…well no one really, as those were two of the prolific single-game individual performances in the last 30 years of Hoosier basketball.

And speaking of that 2005 game against Duke in Bloomington, take a quick gander at this video if you want to get a taste of what Assembly Hall will be like tomorrow.

The game’s announcers and even the great Coach K himself remarked after the game that it was as loud as they’d ever heard an arena.

That’s how we do it Bloomington.

I know. I used to be one of the Assembly Hall denizens both as a kid growing up and as a student. My brother is a Hoosier now, a junior, and I could not be happier that for the first time in his IU tenure he is going to experience what a real Indiana basketball game is like.

Because for the first time in a long time I have faith that we can legitimately compete against an elite team.

Here is the relevant info for tomorrow’s matchup:

Indiana v Kentucky Game Info

• Indiana-Kentucky Date: Saturday, December 10th
• Indiana-Kentucky Time: 5:15 ET
• Indiana-Kentucky TV: ESPN
• Indiana-Kentucky Point Spread: Kentucky -5.5 (line opened at -3.5…good, keep doubting the Hoosiers)
• Indiana-Kentucky Over-Under: 139
• Indiana-Kentucky Postgame: The Assembly Call Postgame Show
• Indiana-Kentucky Twitter Updates: @AssemblyCall, @InsideTheHall, @ZachOsterman

Even though Kentucky is ranked #1 and Indiana is just happy to finally be receiving votes again, this has the potential to be one hell of a game.

Kentucky clearly has the talent advantage, and Indiana is going to have to do a better job of containing dribble penetration and rebounding than it did against NC State; but the talent gap isn’t nearly as wide as its been in recent years.

While Kentucky has a roster loaded with future lottery picks, Indiana finally has legitimate NBA prospects of its own in Christian Watford, Will Sheehey, Victor Oladipo, and of course Cody Zeller. Will those four be enough to keep the Hoosiers in the game? If team leader Jordan Hulls can find a way to overcome his lack of athleticism to get some shots and stay in the flow of the offense, then yes.

And if the Hoosiers can keep it close throughout, thus keeping the fans fully engaged in the games, then yes.

And if guys like Verdell Jones and Derek Elston can eliminate the bonehead plays and fulfill their roles, then yes.

And if Tom Crean can resist the urge to play bad lineup combinations and continue to push the right motivational buttons, then yes.

Yes, yes, yes.

Indeed, for the first time in a long time, Hoosier fans can enter a game with Kentucky expecting to compete. My goodness that is a good feeling.

You won’t find me predicting a W though, and it has nothing to do with whether or not I actually think Indiana can win. I’m one of those irrational fans that always thinks we have a shot to win. Even the last three years, I’ve always been able to talk myself into us somehow having a chance in every game. I’m insane like that.

But I thought Stony Brook would give us a good fight. Then I thought the game in Evansville would be tight. I certainly thought Butler would give us a close 40 minutes. And I prepared myself for a loss when we went on the road to NC State.

Yet here the Hoosiers sit, at 8-0, having won every game by double digits. I’m sure as hell not going to tempt fate.

So I’ll predict a Kentucky victory, by 8-9 points. I’ll say that Indiana keeps it close throughout, the fans are great, but that Kentucky’s talent and athleticism wins out in the end and they pull away over the final five minutes.

That’s what I’ll say, because underestimating this year’s Hoosiers has been working out so far this year, and I can be extremely superstitious when comes to life and death matters of importance like Indiana basketball.

So that’s what I’ll…say.

Forgive me if I don’t tell you what I think/hope/expect. I do know that Indiana will need to play a great game tomorrow to win. If a reverse jinx from me can help out in away, I’m happy to provide it.

I just can’t wait. I became an Indiana fan because I fell in love with games like this. I really can’t put into words how I expect I am to have one coming tomorrow. Sleep will be tough to come by tonight.

Do me proud tomorrow IU students. I wish I wish I was there cheering like a banshee right along side you. Let those Wildcats know that “this is Indiana.”

Can’t wait.

**********

You know where to find me after the game: http://assemblycall.com

Join us. No matter what happens, there will be plenty to talk about.

Yes, they trump the 2001-02 Hoosiers that made it to the title game when I was a student at IU. Yes, they even trump the 1991-92 Hoosiers that made it to the Final Four with many of the same guys as the ’93 team. And yes, despite not winning a National Championship or even making it to the Final Four, the ’93 Hoosiers even trump the 2005 White Sox, who brought the first World Series title to Chicago in over 100 years.

There was just something special about the 1993 IU team and I, like many other Hoosier fans, will go to my grave believing that we were one torn ACL away from hanging banner #6 in Assembly Hall.

And you know what? The fans are not alone.

Many of the players from that 1993 team believe the same thing, including then-senior guard Greg Graham, who played about as well during the second half of the Big Ten season that year as any guard in IU history, perhaps even – for that short stretch – Big Ten history.

And no, that is not hyperbole.

Earlier today, I actually had the tremendous good fortune of getting to talk to Greg Graham, who is the latest guest on the MSF Podcast.

MSF Podcast with Greg Graham

(listen using player below or download from iTunes)

Picture of Greg Graham scanned from the cover of the 1992-93 IU media guide

If you want a quick preview of what we talked about, here are a few of the topics:

• Greg’s memories of the 1992-93 season.
• His thoughts on his career as a whole and whether or not the vaunted 1989 recruiting class that he was a part of lived up to its expectations and potential.
• What it was like playing for Bob Knight and how that experience has influenced him as a coach today.
• His relationship with Calbert Cheaney and what it was like for them to play together.
• Greg’s thoughts on the current state of the IU program.

(Note: Big thanks to MSF columnist and former podcast guest Mary-Rachel Dick for setting up the interview with Greg. She unfortunately could not join us, but it wouldn’t have happened at all without her effort.)

And now for my thoughts on the interview.

It is hard for me to put into words what it is like to talk to one your boyhood heroes.

I grew up in Bloomington and cannot remember missing a game during Greg’s time as a Hoosier, which spanned from 1989-1993. My dad and I had seats behind the IU bench, about seven rows up, and you better believe I was on my feet cheering like a maniac for every Greg Graham drive or triple, for every baseline jumper by Calbert, and during every William Tell Overture timeout.

Those were special times for Hoosier fans.

Bob Knight was still at the top of his game, Indiana was an annual contender in the Big Ten and nationally, and legendary players like Greg, Calbert, Alan, Damon Bailey, and Brian Evans were wearing the cream and crimson at the same time.

Contrast that with the state of IU basketball today and you can probably see why today’s interview with Greg and the writing of this post have been so exciting and such a welcome respite from the frustration of the past couple seasons.

The other reason why I was so excited to talk to Greg is because it has given me the opportunity to shine some much-deserved light on a career that I believe is one of the more underrated four year runs in IU history.

Because Greg was in the same recruiting class as Calbert Cheaney, who is still the Big Ten’s all-time leading scorer, he was always overshadowed by #40. Once Indiana high school legend Damon Bailey joined them in Bloomington, Bailey’s legend and production grasped a lot of the spotlight as well. And then, of course, there was the gargantuan presence of Coach Knight, who overshadowed everyone.

And what often got lost and still gets lost today is the fact that Greg Graham was one of the most productive and clutch guards ever to play at Indiana.

Consider this:

• Greg Graham is one of the most prolific scorers in IU history with 1,590 career points.
• He played on two Big Ten title teams and a Final Four team.
• For his career, as a guard, he shot 51.4% from the field.
• Greg still holds the single game record for free throws in a game – 26 against a Purdue, a game I attended.
• And, what I think is truly underrated, as referred to above, is that Greg had one of the most impressive individual seasons – especially during Big Ten play – of any guard in the history of the conference. He shot 55% from the field, 51.4% from downtown, 82.5% from the line, and averaged 25 points per game down the stretch in Big Ten play after Alan Henderson got hurt. IU went 17-1 in the conference that year and was ranked #1 in the country heading into the tournament, prompting one columnist (whose name I cannot remember) to call Greg, and I quote, “the best guard in America” after he dropped 32 points on Michigan State at home on senior night.

When people talk about Indiana legends, you hear names like Isiah, Calbert, Alford, Woodson, Benson, May, Smart, Bailey, Henderson, Guyton, and others. Not often enough do we hear Greg Graham’s name mentioned in the same breath, yet I believe that he deserves to be there.

Greg may not have stormed out of the gates as a freshman and sophomore like Calbert did, he may not have led the Hoosiers to a title like Isiah, Alford, Benson, and May did, and he may not have scored as many points or grabbed as many rebounds as Woodson, Henderson, or Guyton did, but what he did do was improve every year, become an outstanding all around player, and come up huge over and over again in clutch spots when his team needed him.

No two individual athletes gave me more indelible memories and produced more excitement for me as a sports fan than Calbert Cheaney and Greg Graham. Calbert has always gotten his due and rightfully is among the handful of players in the discussion for greatest IU basketball player ever. Greg may not be in that discussion, but he’s in the very next tier.

Calbert provided me with the single most memorable moment I’ve seen live at a sporting event when he sunk his baseline jumpshot against Northwestern to break the all-time Big Ten scoring record, so it seems only fitting that, 17 years later, Greg would provide me with the single most memorable moment of my time as a sports blogger.

Thanks for the many memories as a player Greg, and thanks for allowing me to live out a sports blogger’s dream today. It’s not every day that we sports bloggers get to interview one of the guys we idolized growing up and then actually share it with an audience. MSF could crash tomorrow and I’ll always get to say that I did.

And for any Warren Central players that read this, hopefully it reinforces just how great a player their current coach once was, and how much he meant and still means to scores of IU fans across the state of Indiana, even as far away as Dallas. Greg Graham is part of the fabric of what makes IU basketball so special.

Hopefully the current Hoosiers can turn things around over the next few years so that the positive feelings and excitement of the 1992-93 team won’t feel like such a distant, though pleasant, memory.

For all the IU fans out there, I’ll end this post for old time’s sake with an image that should be worth at least 1,000 happy words considering the last two years:

Yes, those truly were the days. My thanks to Greg Graham for helping me to relive them today.

A little background: back in the day, my dad had two season tickets and went to the games with my mom, until one fateful night when Bob Knight grabbed the jersey of then-IU freshman Delray Brooks and she vowed never to go to an IU game again. (Brooks, of course, later transferred to Providence and played on their Final Four team under Rick Pitino.) Her loss, however, was my gain. I slid into her seat and never missed a game until the year after my family moved from Bloomington in 1994. And I guess the timing of this move was fitting, considering the 1993 IU basketball team is my favorite sports team of all time, and IU basketball has never been as good since.

Well, in the more than 20 years that I have been following Indiana basketball, from both up close and afar, I would rank last night’s home victory over Iowa in my all-time Top 10 most rewarding and appreciated wins. Sure, scores of wins have meant more in the conference standings or for tournament seeding purposes. And it isn’t like IU knocked off a conference giant — quite the contrary, as Iowa is in 10th place and was playing without their best player. And the game was at home, in Assembly Hall, where victories used to be a given and not a cause for jubilant celebration.

But this is not a normal season, nor a normal team. And I do not feel one iota of shame or embarrasment or foolishness for feeling, at least for a split second, like IU had won some kind of championship. When you have 5 national championships, a history of consistent success, and are one of the winningest programs in the history of college basketball, you aren’t supposed to be excited about being 1-8 in the conference. Well, screw that. I am excited, and I am really proud of Tom Crean and the Hoosiers.

I would also be remiss if I did not dole out some well-deserved kudos to Devan Dumes. He has taken all kinds of flack — and deservedly so — for lacking poise late in games and making silly turnovers or taking unnecessary shots. Think back to the Michigan game. But last night, Devan Dumes literally put on a shooting performance that is among the best ever witnessed in Assembly Hall. For one night, Devan Dumes allowed IU fans to harken back to the days of Steve Alford, Greg Graham, Calbert Cheaney, Damon Bailey, AJ Guyton, and Tom Coverdale, among others. Look at his statline:

Devan Dumes versus Iowa:

• 27 points
• 8-9 FG
• 5-5 3 FG
• 6-8 FT
• 4 Reb
• 2 Assts
• 2 Stl
• 2 TO
• 35 minutes played

If you substituted Calbert’s name atop that statline and told me it was a game against Michigan and the Fab Five or Jim Jackson and Ohio State, I’d believe it. That’s how good Devan Dumes was last night. And he was certainly not the only one who brought it.

The entire team only committed 11 turnovers, which is how many the Hoosiers have by halftime a lot of games. Kyle Taber played very solidly inside, grabbing 8 boards and scoring 7 points. Nick Williams was his usual scrappy and AJ Moye-esque self, grabbing 9 rebounds (6 offensive) and scoring 14 points. And Malik Story came off the bench to score 9 points in 15 minutes, while being the confident and assertive player that we have seen emerge over the last few weeks.

And as Dumes said after the game, according to the Big Ten Network, the team is looking forward to more such victories over the next month:

“I’m just focused on the second half of the season, and coach told us we can make some magic things happen,” Dumes said. “It’s just really exciting to finally get that first win. There was a lot of smiles in the locker room and a lot of relief.”

Ah yes, the coach: Tom Crean. He is off to one of the worst starts, record-wise, in the long and storied history of IU basketball. Yet, I feel more confident about the direction of our program right now than I did at any time under Mike Davis or the jackass who shall not be referred to by name. Crean’s attitude and positivity and optimism just speak to what I have always wanted IU basketball to be about. And I have been so impressed by how hard we have played all season long despite the consistent losing.

IU fans remember the NCAA tourney flameouts during the final years of Knight’s tenure in Bloomington, and the often disinterested look that Mike Davis’ team gave, and the complete lack of discipline displayed under the lying snake of a man who shall not be referred to by name. Sure, Tom Crean is only in his first season and all of the players are fresh and new — but for a team that has been so consistently beaten down this year to just keep getting up and fighting, and to never give up, well it’s all I want to see out of my basketball team. Wins, no doubt, will follow.

After the game, Tom Crean and the Hoosiers stayed on the court for a little while and soaked in their first victory. The Hoosiers high-fived the fans and Tom Crean even took the microphone to personally thank the fans and tell us that this win was ours. Watch the highlight video from the Big Ten Network if you didn’t see it last night. For any IU fan who has suffered through the last 11 games, and who will probably suffer through more losses this season, last night was a great reprieve from a very frustrating season.

And Coach, while all IU fans appreciate your dedication of the victory to us, last night’s win was yours and the teams’. You guys have battled, and fought, and clawed your way to so many close losses against teams with a lot more talent. Last night, you earned a well deserved victory. We’ll take the next one, but last night was yours.

And the first of many, many, many memorable wins that will happen under Tom Crean at Assembly Hall.